The Waltz of Chaos
by NinjaRisa
Summary: A romance set during the Victorian era where drama ensues and heartbreak is inevitable. MaKorra.


_Chapter 1_

It was midafternoon at the Sato estate. Korra could hear the bustling and shuffling of feet coming from downstairs, the servants having been busy since early morning. Today was the formal Spring Ball, hosted by Mr. Sato himself. The invited guests were expected to arrive in a couple hours' time which gave Ms. Asami Sato and her close friend, Ms. Korra Tomkin, plenty of time to dress and prepare. There was to be a little over one hundred guests, all very esteemed and dignified Upper Class men and women. This was not Korra's first ball – in fact, she has attended many formal gatherings in the past, many met with great reluctance on her part.

Not just anyone could attend a social gathering at the Sato estate, however. Mr. Sato had high standards and expectations when it came to his guests. Those who were invited could only be of the nobility or be incredibly significant in some way. Korra, though not of "noble" blood, was both the Avatar and Asami's friend, and therefore approved as a guest in Mr. Sato's eyes.

Korra's bare feet plodded on the plush carpet as she made her way to the large standing mirror across the bedroom. Minutes prior, Korra had struggled pulling the long, heavy dress over her head. She was grateful that Asami let her borrow a dress for the evening, as Korra did not personally own a dress classy enough for the ball. Much to her delight Asami had carefully picked out a sleeveless dress for Korra, but it frustrated her how low the neckline was. The dress was modest overall but considering the fact that Korra had a large bust, it made her semi-self conscious wearing it.

Korra examined her reflection closely. She fisted the layer of skirts in both hands and lifted them above the ground to reveal her caramel legs and feet. The skirts' circumference added well over a foot to Korra's body, and she felt large because of it. The only thing she didn't hate about the dress was the color: a nice shade of dark blue.

Korra began wriggling her toes in strange delight, but immediately froze and dropped the fabric in her hands as a voice from behind startled her.

"What on earth are you doing?" Asami giggled. The young beauty of raven hair and eyes of emerald appeared in the mirror next to Korra and adjusted her friend's dress. "You look gorgeous in that," Asami continued with an honest tone. The heiress was also donned in her best gown for the ball, a dark blood red to match her crimson lips. It was adorned with golden fringe and designs to complement the golden hairpiece pinning her hair up in a Victorian coiffure.

"Just making sure I actually _have_ feet under this thing," Korra joked. "This dress is so long I feel like I'm going to trip over it while dancing … or trip someone else!"

Asami rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're exaggerating. It's not as long as you think."

"Well, it's certainly heavy!" Korra pouted. To prove her point she took a step back and attempted a swift spin, and nearly fell off-balance.

Asami shook her head at her friend's childish remarks. "Whine, whine, whine. You'll get used to it after awhile, trust me on that. Come here."

Asami gently grabbed Korra's arms and placed the young Avatar in the center of the mirror. The young heiress forced her friend to observe the reflection more closely, and Asami stepped away from the mirror's view.

"Look at yourself," Asami said. "You look beautiful in that dress. Don't you dare deny it. You may not like wearing it, but it really suits you. Trust me – men's heads will turn when they see you."

"Right," Korra deadpanned and rested a fist on her hip. "And the last time that's ever happened was … never."

"Don't be so pessimistic. You were invited to this ball so at least _try_ to enjoy yourself."

"Enjoy myself?" Korra returned. "Yeah, it's kind of hard to do that when you're wearing a corset! I swear, if I break a rib because of this I'm gonna –"

Asami glared.

"Alright, alright," Korra sighed. "I'll _try_ to have a good time just to humor you. I did come all this way after all ..."

* * *

5 o'clock P.M.

Asami and Korra were the official greeters for the evening as they stood in the foyer inviting guests into the ballroom as they arrived. To Korra the number of guests seemed endless as she addressed each one cordially with a smile after smile, bow after bow. Korra's facial muscles began to ache and her legs nearly gave out at one point from standing too long. Between greeting guests she would massage her face and sometimes give her legs a little shake to avoid them falling asleep.

"You're the Avatar," Asami whispered behind her fan. "Surely your trainings are more rigorous than simple greetings."

"I was never trained for _this,"_ Korra retorted. "I'm fine with greeting people, but not when they approach me in droves."

"Don't worry," Asami said. "We'll be inside soon. Now hush, here comes another guest." She cleared her throat and closed her fan. "Good evening, Mr. Tsung," Asami smiled. She and Korra gave the man a slight bow of the head. "Thank you for coming."

"Yes, well, thank you for having me," the older gentleman said, and returned with a bow of his own. "Your father is here, I presume?"

"Yes, he's right inside. Please do come in."

As soon as he entered the doorway, Korra groaned.

"Please tell me that was the last one," she said with desperation in her voice. Korra stretched her arms above her head, and her back made a loud "pop".

"Korra, don't do that here – it's not ladylike," Asami scolded and forced both of her friend's arms down. "My goodness, you're so impatient. Besides, I thought you were done complaining for the night. Are you purposefully trying to be a downer?"

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm itching to get inside already."

Korra craned her head towards the doorway. There was a small hallway that led to the ballroom. She couldn't see much but the sound of music, laughter, and lively conversations hung in the air. Korra bit her bottom lip as she shifted from foot to foot impatiently. Her eyes returned to the main door, and she let out an exasperated groan.

"Seriously, Asami. Can we go inside now? Please tell me that was the last guest 'cause I'm not seeing anyone else."

Asami shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. We can go inside now. But … Hmm …" Asami paused as she fixed her eyes on the main entrance, then sighed as she lowered her gaze. "To tell you the truth, I was actually expecting one or two more, but I guess they were unable to come."

"Who?" Korra asked. She noticed her friend's strange disappointment. She nearly looked heartbroken. It must have been someone she was really looking forward to seeing. Strange that Asami made no mention of it earlier.

"Well, they're –" Asami began but cut herself short as she lifted her head. "They're here," she whispered with curious excitement. A slight blush arose on Asami's cheeks and Korra swiftly turned to face the mysterious guests.

Two young men entered, both graced with fair features. One was about Korra's height, having a stocky build and a large grin spread across his face. The other appeared older than his associate and was quite tall with a thinner build, harboring an unreadable face as he made no expression. As the two approached, Korra could tell by their features that they were related and gave the likely assumption that they were brothers.

"Good evening, ladies," the younger one grinned. He then gave an exaggerated bow causing Korra and Asami to chuckle. His older brother simply rolled his eyes at his sibling's actions and remained silent.

"I'm glad you two could make it," Asami smiled. "How was your journey? Hopefully not too bad. I know that you had to travel far to come here."

The younger shook his head. "No-no-no, it was a great trip, Ms. Sato! But, man, am I so excited to be here! I mean, a party isn't a party without good ol' Bolin!" he winked.

Korra smiled. This young man had a refreshing air about him. He didn't seem nearly as stuffy as the other aristocrats she normally encounters, and he clearly wasn't afraid to be himself.

"Now, I don't believe we've met before," Bolin said flirtatiously as he gazed at Korra. "I'm Mister Bolin Kuan. Pleased to meet you. Oh, and this is my big brother, Mako!"

Korra then shifted her attention to the older brother. His face still lacked expression, and Korra frowned.

 _I don't like him._

"He's, uh, not very good at introductions," Bolin said. His older brother shot him a sideways glare.

"Thank you, Ms. Sato, for the invitation," Mako said courteously but with an unchanged countenance. He never once glanced at Korra nor even acknowledged her presence for even a second.

 _I_ really _don't like him._

"You're not very good at first impressions, are you?" Korra asked with slight irritation.

"Korra!" Asami scolded, noticeably embarrassed. "Excuse her. This is my friend, Korra Tomkin. She can be blunt at times, but she really is great once you get to know her. Oh! Please go right in! I've been having you stand out here for far too long."

Mako glared at Korra in annoyance as he replied, "Thank you, Ms. Sato."

Korra averted her eyes from the elder brother with a huff and stepped aside to let the two gentlemen through. With the two brothers being the last guests of the evening, Asami politely put her arm out for Bolin to take and the two entered the doorway, but not before Asami gave her friend a warning glance. "Behave yourself," her look seemed to say.

As Mako made a step towards the doorway Korra refused to look at him, and she faced her back to him with her arms folded. She was planning on entering the hall after he passed, but then she heard his footsteps halt behind her. Suddenly, the fragrance of the young man's cologne became very potent – the strong scent of cinnamon.

Korra hastily spun around only to find her face inches away from Mako's, and her eyes widened. What was he doing? Why was he so close? Korra wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or embarrassed so she looked away. She could feel her face growing hotter, and all she wished for was for this Mr. Kuan to leave immediately. She remained still with an anxious heart and her hands balled up into fists.

The gentleman's voice then lowered as he spoke near her ear.

"Ladies first."

Irritated, Korra rushed past Mako and stormed through the hall to the ballroom without even a single glance at him. Couldn't he have said that without trespassing into her personal space? she wondered. It was clear to her that his purpose at that moment was to aggravate her, and it worked. While she was still unaccustomed to the rules of civility in the Upper Class, she was quite sure that standing - and even speaking - in such close proximity to a young woman was objectionable. Actually, that was unacceptable despite what class one was in. But who did he think he was?! Sure, she was slightly rude to him, but what he did was uncomfortable.

What bothered her most, however, was that she took notice of his eyes, their rich hue burned forever in her mind: the color of amber that glistened like golden honey.

Then she remembered his scent.

She despised him for this. Now she'll never forget him.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _Oh my goodness, it's been so darn long since I've posted anything on this site! Hello again, all!_

 _The title of this story is horrendous, but I_ really _had no idea what to call it. Also,_ _I apologize if characters seem a bit out-of-character at times. It's been a while since I've watched the show. I'm pretty sure I've nailed Bolin though - there's almost no way anyone can screw up his precious personality. Haha_

 _I'm not sure whether to continue this story or not - it all depends on what feedback I get. The writing is probably a tad awkward and sloppy in some parts, or even questionable. Honestly, this is just a brainstorm idea I've had on my mind ever since I finished "Say My Name". A lot of research has gone into this as this story is set in Victorian times, and man are there so many societal rules people had to follow back then. This'll be a fun challenge if I continue this story since Victorian England is one of my favorite eras. Speaking of which, this story is heavily inspired by "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, one of the best romance novels ever written, if not the best. I highly recommend reading it - it's much more entertaining than what I could ever write. lol_

 _Anyways, thank you for reading! Hopefully I'll talk to you guys again in chapter 2!_


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